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Nevin Manimala Statistics

Long-term effects of homologous and heterologous SARS-CoV-2 vaccination on humoral and cellular immune responses

Allergy. 2022 May 14. doi: 10.1111/all.15373. Online ahead of print.

NO ABSTRACT

PMID:35567394 | DOI:10.1111/all.15373

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Nevin Manimala Statistics

Role of HER2 in Prognosis of Salivary Duct Carcinoma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Laryngoscope. 2022 May 14. doi: 10.1002/lary.30214. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: Salivary duct carcinoma (SDC) is a rare, aggressive malignancy with a poor prognosis. These tumors frequently stain positive for HER2/ErbB2, but data on the prognostic significance of HER2 status in SDC are mixed. We sought to determine whether HER2 status affects survival outcomes in SDC.

METHODS: PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases were searched from inception to October 2020. Eligibility was restricted to studies reporting HER2/ErbB2 overexpression in histologically confirmed de novo SDC or SDC ex pleomorphic adenoma, with corresponding overall (OS) and disease-free (DFS) survival measures. Separate multivariable and univariable meta-analyses were performed using random-effects models. Statistical heterogeneity was estimated by Cochran’s Q and I2 tests. Funnel plots were generated and Egger’s test was used to assess for publication bias. The risk of bias was assessed with the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale.

RESULTS: Of 183 unique citations, 14 studies of 663 patients were included. Most included studies determined HER2 status according to ASCO/CAP guidelines. The univariable meta-analysis did not reveal an effect between HER2 status and OS (HR 1.09, 95% CI 0.84-1.42). In the multivariable analysis, HER2 positivity was associated with a HR of 1.49 for OS (95% CI 0.96-2.30). Fewer studies reported data for DFS than OS, with no relationship between HER2 status and DFS found on multivariable or univariable meta-analyses.

CONCLUSION: In patients with salivary duct carcinoma, HER2 positivity was not found to be associated with worse overall survival. This information may be useful when counseling patients and considering treatment options. Laryngoscope, 2022.

PMID:35567387 | DOI:10.1002/lary.30214

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Nevin Manimala Statistics

The impact of methodological choices when developing predictive models using urinary metabolite data

Stat Med. 2022 May 14. doi: 10.1002/sim.9431. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The continuous evolution of metabolomics over the past two decades has stimulated the search for metabolic biomarkers of many diseases. Metabolomic data measured from urinary samples can provide rich information of the biological events triggered by organ rejection in pediatric kidney transplant recipients. With additional validation, metabolic markers can be used to build clinically useful diagnostic tools. However, there are many methodological steps ranging from data processing to modeling that can influence the performance of the resulting metabolomic classifiers. In this study we focus on the comparison of various classification methods that can handle the complex structure of metabolomic data, including regularized classifiers, partial least squares discriminant analysis, and nonlinear classification models. We also examine the effectiveness of a physiological normalization technique widely used in the clinical and biochemical literature but not extensively analyzed and compared in urine metabolomic studies. While the main objective of this work is to interrogate metabolomic data of pediatric kidney transplant recipients to improve the diagnosis of T cell-mediated rejection (TCMR), we also analyze three independent datasets from other disease conditions to investigate the generalizability of our findings.

PMID:35567357 | DOI:10.1002/sim.9431

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Nevin Manimala Statistics

Evidence of circalunar rhythmicity in young children’s evening melatonin levels

J Sleep Res. 2022 May 14:e13635. doi: 10.1111/jsr.13635. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

In adults, recent evidence demonstrates that sleep and circadian physiology change across lunar phases, including findings that endogenous melatonin levels are lower near the full moon compared to the new moon. Here, we extend these results to early childhood by examining circalunar fluctuations in children’s evening melatonin levels. We analysed extant data on young children’s circadian rhythms (n = 46, aged 3.0-5.9 years, 59% female). After following a strict sleep schedule for 5-7 days, children completed an in-home, dim-light circadian assessment (<10 lux). Salivary melatonin was assessed at regular 20- to 30-min intervals until 1 h past each child’s scheduled bedtime. Melatonin levels varied significantly across lunar phases, such that melatonin was lower in participants assessed near the full moon as compared to near the new moon. Significant differences were observed at 50 min (meanfull = 2.5 pg/ml; meannew = 5.4 pg/ml) and 10 min (meanfull = 7.3 pg/ml; meannew = 15.8 pg/ml) before children’s scheduled bedtime, as well as at 20 min (meanfull = 15.5 pg/ml; meannew = 26.1 pg/ml) and 50 min (meanfull = 19.9 pg/ml; meannew = 34.3 pg/ml) after bedtime. To our knowledge, these are the first data demonstrating that melatonin secretion, a process regulated by the human circadian system, is sensitive to changes in lunar phase at an early age. Future research is needed to understand the mechanisms underlying this association (e.g., an endogenous circalunar rhythm) and its potential influence on children’s sleep and circadian health.

PMID:35567349 | DOI:10.1111/jsr.13635

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Nevin Manimala Statistics

Closed testing with Globaltest, with application in metabolomics

Biometrics. 2022 May 13. doi: 10.1111/biom.13693. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The Globaltest is a powerful test for the global null hypothesis that there is no association between a group of features and a response of interest, which is popular in pathway testing in metabolomics. Evaluating multiple feature sets, however, requires multiple testing correction. In this paper, we propose a multiple testing method, based on closed testing, specifically designed for the Globaltest. The proposed method controls the family-wise error rate simultaneously over all possible feature sets, and therefore allows post hoc inference, i.e. the researcher may choose feature sets of interest after seeing the data without jeopardizing error control. To circumvent the exponential computation time of closed testing, we derive a novel shortcut that allows exact closed testing to be performed on the scale of metabolomics data. An R package ctgt is available on CRAN for the implementation of the shortcut procedure, with applications on several real metabolomics data examples. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

PMID:35567306 | DOI:10.1111/biom.13693

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Nevin Manimala Statistics

Comments on “Anthropometric, Psychosocial, Physiological, and Postural Observances During Ramadan in Men With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease”

Am J Mens Health. 2022 May-Jun;16(3):15579883221099427. doi: 10.1177/15579883221099427.

NO ABSTRACT

PMID:35567283 | DOI:10.1177/15579883221099427

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Nevin Manimala Statistics

Stop the Bleed: A Prospective Evaluation and Comparison of Tourniquet Application in Security Personnel Versus Civilian Population

Am Surg. 2022 May 13:31348221101489. doi: 10.1177/00031348221101489. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Stop the Bleed (STB) is a national training program aiming to decrease the mortality associated with life-threatening bleeding due to injury. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and confidence level of security personnel placing a tourniquet (TQ) compared to civilians.

METHODS: Pre and post questionnaires were shared with security personnel (Group 1) and civilians (Group 2). Both groups were assessed to determine comfort level with TQ placement. Time and success rate for placement was recorded pre- and post-STB training. A generalized linear mixed model or generalized estimating equations was used to compare pre and post measurements.

RESULTS: There were 234 subjects enrolled. There was a statistically significant improvement between the pre- and post-training responses in both groups with respect to comfort level in placing a TQ. Participants also demonstrated increased familiarity with the anatomy and bleeding control after STB training. A higher successful TQ placement was obtained in both groups after STB training (Pre-training: Group 1 [17.4%], Group 2 [12.8%]; Post-training: Group 1 [94.8%], Group 2 [92.3%]). Both groups demonstrated improved time to TA placement with a longer mean time improvement achieved in Group 1. Although the time to TQ placement pre-and post-training was statistically significant, we found that the post-training times between Groups 1 and 2 were similar (P = .983).

CONCLUSIONS: Participants improved their confidence level with the use of hemorrhage control techniques and dramatically increased the rate and time to successful placement of a TQ. While civilians had the greatest increase in comfort level, the security personnel group saw the most significant reduction in the time to successful TQ placement. These findings highlight the critical role of STB in educating and empowering both civilians and security personnel in bleeding control techniques.

PMID:35567282 | DOI:10.1177/00031348221101489

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Nevin Manimala Statistics

Postoperative Outcomes in the Plain Community Population of Western Wisconsin

Am Surg. 2022 May 13:31348221101486. doi: 10.1177/00031348221101486. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Residents of plain communities constitute an underserved minority population that is not reliably captured in contemporary surgical outcomes research. We hypothesized that plain communities (PC) patients would have higher postoperative complication rates than a general surgical population.

METHODS: A retrospective review of 30-day postoperative outcomes for PC patients compared to a majority (non-PC) matched patient population from September 2014 to March 2020 was performed. The primary outcome measure was any complication within 30 days of surgery.

RESULTS: 270 PC patients were matched with 493 non-PC patients. The 30-day complication rate was higher for the PC group (6.3% vs 3.7%, P = .09), though not statistically significant. There was significantly lower utilization of preventive care services, and postoperative follow-up among PC patients.

DISCUSSION: Although our regional PC surgical patient population utilized preventive and postoperative health care services less than the non-PC population, there was no statistically significant difference in overall 30-day postoperative morbidity or mortality.

PMID:35567279 | DOI:10.1177/00031348221101486

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Nevin Manimala Statistics

Selected Physico-Chemical, Nutritional, Antioxidant and Sensory Properties of Wheat Bread Supplemented with Apple Pomace Powder as a By-Product from Juice Production

Plants (Basel). 2022 May 6;11(9):1256. doi: 10.3390/plants11091256.

ABSTRACT

The present article aimed to study the effects of four selected concentrations (1%, 2%, 5%, and 10%) of apple pomace powder (APP), obtained from juice production, on the nutritional value and selected physico-chemical, antioxidant, and sensory properties of wheat bread. We have found that the ash and total carbohydrate contents, total polyphenols content, and antioxidant activity of the supplemented bread loaves were markedly higher (p &lt; 0.05) as compared to the control ones. On the other hand, values for protein and fat contents and loaf volume in APP-containing bread samples were statistically lower (p &lt; 0.05). Finally, sensory evaluation revealed no significant differences in all tested attributes between the investigated groups of bread samples. The current results suggest that 10% APP addition appears to be an attractive ingredient applied to bread formulation to obtain a bakery product with high nutritional value and required qualitative and sensory properties. In such a manner, apple pomace as by-products from apple juice processing can be efficiently utilized in an eco-friendly way by the food industry to decrease unnecessary waste and environmental pollution.

PMID:35567257 | DOI:10.3390/plants11091256

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Nevin Manimala Statistics

Vegetation Classification and Distribution Patterns in the South Slope of Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon National Nature Reserve, Eastern Himalayas

Plants (Basel). 2022 Apr 28;11(9):1194. doi: 10.3390/plants11091194.

ABSTRACT

Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon National Nature Reserve has the most complete vertical vegetation belts in China. However, identification and distribution of vertical vegetation belts is still uncertain and in debate. To explore the above issues, 190 plots were surveyed within the reserve from 2019 to 2021. Based on the vegetation plot data, cluster analysis, ordination analysis, and biodiversity statistics were performed to reveal the structure of vertical vegetation belts-the driving factors of vegetation distribution-to describe the main biodiversity patterns. Five vertical vegetation belts were identified by clustering. NMDS ordination showed that the main factor of vegetation distribution is elevation. Based on the results of the analysis and previous literature, a new scheme of vertical vegetation belts in the south slope of the reserve was proposed. There was a lower montane seasonal rainforest belt (600-1100 m), a lower montane evergreen broadleaf forest belt (1100-1800 m), a middle montane semi-evergreen broadleaf forest belt (1800-2400 m), a subalpine evergreen needleleaf forest belt (2400-3800 m), a alpine shrubland and meadow belt (3800-4400 m), an alpine sparse vegetation belt (4400-4800 m), and a nival belt (4800-7782 m). Among them, the seasonal rainforest belts are the northernmost distribution of this type, and the semi-evergreen broadleaf forest belts exist only in the Eastern Himalayas. The study showed a unimodal pattern in plant species diversity, the peak of which is about 1900 m. The middle montane semi-evergreen broadleaf forest belt had the highest species diversity in the reserve. This study settled the issues regarding the vertical vegetation belts, the main drivers of vegetation and assessment of plant species diversity in the south slope of the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon National Nature Reserve. It provides essential support for the management and conservation of these ecosystems in the reserve.

PMID:35567195 | DOI:10.3390/plants11091194